This invention relates to methods and apparatus for mounting internal peripheral devices inside a computer enclosure. More particularly, the invention relates to an EMI-efficient technique that facilitates easy removal and replacement of such internal peripheral devices.
One common method for mounting internal peripheral devices such as disk or tape drives inside a computer enclosure has been to fasten the drive directly to the enclosure chassis or to an appendage thereof, and to manually couple a ribbon cable between the drive and the drive""s controller subsystem. This method may work satisfactorily for computers wherein only one or two drives are needed and wherein the drives are to be permanently housed within the enclosure of the computer. In many modern applications, however, a need exists to house as many as four or more drives in a single enclosure. Furthermore, a need exists to be able to remove and replace the drives easily and frequently, and to do so without introducing enclosure features that allow significant electromagnetic energy to escape from the computer.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a mechanism for mounting multiple drives inside a computer enclosure in a manner that makes it quick and easy to remove and replace the individual drives.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a mechanism without introducing features to the computer""s enclosure that would allow significant escape of electromagnetic energy from the computer.
The invention includes numerous aspects, each of which contributes to achieving these and other objectives.
In one aspect, a drive bracket guide is mounted to a computer enclosure chassis, a peripheral device is mounted to a drive bracket, and the drive bracket is then inserted into an opening of the drive bracket guide. A socket support disposed at the end of the drive bracket guide opposite the opening fixedly supports a socket in a position suitable for receiving a mating socket on the drive. The drive bracket and the drive bracket guide cooperate to put the two mating sockets into proper alignment so that insertion of the bracket into the guide causes the sockets to connect with one another automatically, thus obviating the need for manual attachment of a ribbon cable each time a drive is installed.
In another aspect, the drive bracket may be equipped with a locking insertion/ejection mechanism that further facilitates installation and removal of the drive bracket. The insertion/ejection mechanism is rotatably coupled to the drive bracket at a point of rotation. It includes a first prong disposed on one side of the point of rotation and a lever disposed on the other side of the point of rotation. The insertion/ejection mechanism is capable of being placed in an open and a closed position. The first prong, the lever and the point of rotation are disposed so that the first prong passes at least partially through the plane of a flange on the drive bracket guide when the drive bracket is inserted into the guide while the lever is in the open position. After the bracket has been so inserted, the first prong engages a back surface of the flange when the lever is then rotated from the open position into the closed position. The engagement of the first prong with the back surface of the flange and the rotation of the lever into the closed position tend to urge the drive bracket further into the drive bracket guide, thus facilitating the mating of the two sockets at the rear of the assembly.
In another aspect, the insertion/ejection mechanism includes a second prong adjacent to the first prong. The second prong is disposed so that it does not pass through the plane of the flange when the drive bracket is inserted into the bracket guide while the lever is in the open position. Rather, the second prong remains adjacent to a front surface of the flange when the lever is rotated into the closed position. When the lever is rotated from the closed position back into the open position, the second prong engages the front surface of the flange. The engagement of the second prong with the front surface of the flange and the rotation of the lever into the open position tends to urge the drive bracket out of the drive bracket guide, thus facilitating disconnection of the two sockets in the rear of the assembly and easing removal of the bracket from the bracket guide.
In another aspect, the lever of the insertion/ejection mechanism may be spring biased toward the open position, and the mechanism may be equipped with a locking feature. A resilient standoff member is mounted to the drive bracket at one end and has a catch formed at its other end. The lever of the insertion/ejection mechanism has a hole formed therein for lockingly receiving the catch when the lever is rotated into the closed position. When it is desired to remove the bracket from the guide, the resilient standoff member is moved to one side, allowing the catch to release.
In yet a further aspect, the drive bracket guide may be integrally formed on side walls of a drive cage. In such an embodiment, not only is the potential for electromagnetic energy leakage diminished, but also numerous bracket guides may be formed in a stack arrangement along the side walls of the cage.